Empyrean FestivAle

Delayed entry from Tasting at Holiday Beerfest in Omaha: Medium amber color...not much head. Aroma is fairly lackluster...slightly citrusy/honey like with some malt accents. Flavor is odd...honey accents are about the only thing I can decipher outside of the malt, and the overall flavor is very mild. Nice on the palate. Brewer lists this as a braggot for 2007, and its definitely not brewed in the typical IPA model as the listing here suggests. Odd beer.

On draught in the haymarket. Poured bronze with a off white head. Aroma is dry with a few citrus notes. Flavor is slight citric, though I am not sure what actual fruits since it is so very slight of a taste. Solid malt body that fades into wateriness. Cotton mouth dry.

Tap at Haymarket location. 2004 version is an IPA. Amber color, slight head. This beer drinks a lot like Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale...Malts don’t make a huge impact, and it is a bit thin, but very drinkable with a nice minty/earthy/cedary hop character that makes me wonder if Nugget was used. ALso has some citrus flavor as well. Overall, a shockingly good hoppy beer from Empyrean.

Dark amber-red with a sticky film. Nice citrusy/woodsy quaff with an earthy edge. Big holiday beer that’s very good for the cold Nebraska afternoons.

This year’s (2003) Festivale was a little disappointing with less O.G. than in the past. Seemed to be a little light on spices compared to previous versions. Ginger may be missing this year? (3.1) UPDATE: 2004 Version. Very excessively hopped this year. Warm fruit undertones. This ale kicks SN Celebration’s ass! The boys in Lincoln must have gone back to the drawing board because this little holiday elf is certainly on Santa’s good list. BTW Matt, you don’t get IBU’s like this from Nugget hops! I’d guess Columbus or Chinook. (3.7). UPDATE 11/2006: On tap at the Crescent Moon Christmas Beer tasting. I’m told that this year’s Festivale is 9.0% ABV. It pours amber orange with a huge beige head. Has a fruity aroma with lots of candy sweet bubblegum smells. Very hoppy grapefruit. It is strong. The palate is slightly harsh. This is a great beer. (4.3) UPDATE 2007: On tap at the Crescent Moon. The brewer calls this a braggot this year! It is a very muddy dark amber appearance with a medium white head. The honey aroma is very mild and subtle for the style. This is slightly smoky. This is certainly sweet and even a bit toungue coating with waxiness. This is not as strong a beer as it was last year, but the honey flavor is definitely pronounced. However, the homebrew braggots that I have tried are usually 50% honey and this is a far cry from that. My rating for this is 3.4. UPDATE 2009: Again a different recipe for this year. This batch is an Imperial Steam Beer. ABV of 7%. I definitely get an infusion of cherries in the flavor. Pretty unique.

(Draught) Pours a dark cooper color with a medium head. Has a festive flavor and nose with hints of mild hops, nutmeg, and cinnamon.